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2020 Lexus RC F Track Edition First Drive Review | Not the hardcore machine we deserve

THERMAL, Calif. — It's been more than 10 years since Lexus launched its high-performance F models. Ten years. After a full decade you'd think Toyota's luxury division would have it figured out by now, but the 2020 Lexus RC F Track Edition isn't the hardcore machine we were hoping for. Maybe our expectations were too high. We saw its lackluster specs at the Detroit Auto Show in January, but you just never know until you get behind the wheel. And while there's a lot to like here — this is the most powerful and track-capable Lexus since the LFA supercar was launched in 2011 — it's quickly apparent that Lexus' engineers were held back from making the RC F Track Edition what they wanted to make. The RC F Track Edition uses the same naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 (2UR-GSE) that powered the IS F sedan in 2008 and the standard RC F since 2015. It's the engine Lexus also uses in the LC 500 coupe and the GS F sedan. The company's strict warrantability standards mean this engine is limited to 500 hp, said Yuuichi Tsurumoto, the chief engineer on the RC F Track Edition and the man responsible for all Lexus F models. So supercharging the engine was out of the question. Increasing the V8's displacement to 5.5-liters or more was explored, but then the RC F Track Edition would have been subject to a gas guzzler tax, and that too was deemed unacceptable. The frustration in Tsurumoto's voice was clear. And while the 5.0-liter's output has been increased slightly for 2020, up to 472 horsepower (+5) at 7,100 rpm and 395 pound-feet of torque (+6) at 4,800 rpm, the RC F Track Edition doesn't get any more power than the standard RC F. Both versions of the coupe also continue to use an Aisin-supplied eight-speed automatic, which is essentially unchanged. Lexus is only going to build "around 400" RC F Track Editions, and it will import just 50 into the United States. That's all. Just 50 cars. And they're going to cost $97,675 including a $1,025 destination fee. Who cares about a gas guzzler tax on such an extreme limited run of a $100,000 factory hot rod? In the age of 797-hp Redeyes and 640-hp Cadillacs, the 472-hp RC F Track Edition may not sound like it would be quick, but it is. With its new launch control and shorter 3.13:1 rear-end ratio, Lexus says it can sprint to 60 mph in 3.97 seconds. That's just a tenth or two off the performance of the LFA. Unfortunately, it's also only two tenths quicker than the standard RC F, which Lexus says now hits 60 mph in 4.2 seconds.

2021 Lexus NX 300 and NX 300h stick to the formula

After placing the limited-run NX 300h F Sport Black Line Special Edition at the top of the range, Lexus has announced few changes for the rest of the NX lineup going into 2021. For its sixth year on the market, on the exterior of the compact luxury crossover, Blue Vortex Metallic slips off the color wheel, replaced by Nori Green Pearl. The deep forest hue dazzled recently on the 2020 Lexus LC 500 Inspiration Series. Less visible to outsiders, NX models get low-profile windshield wiper blades, and power-folding, auto-dimming, reverse-tilt mirrors. Revisions to the standard interior have been confined to a revised horn pad, and a slightly different red zone on the tachometer, but Lexus didn't clarify what that last point means. Among the feature set, every NX will include blind spot monitor with rear cross traffic alert in the driver safety technology that's grouped under the Lexus Safety System+ 2.0 banner. Turning to the options sheet, ordering the Navigation package will include the HomeLink garage door opening system, and the Mark Levinson audio system comes with an updated amplifier.   After that, what we're already familiar with from the NX lineup carries on. That means three trims, the NX 300, NX 300 F Sport, and NX 300h, plus the NX 300h F Sport Black Line until they're all sold. Engine choices are a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 235 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque on the non-hybrid models, and a 2.5-liter Atkinson cycle four-cylinder engine in the NX 300h that works with three electric motors to produce a total combined output of 194 horsepower. The non-hybrid NX trims get a six-speed transmission, the hybrid employs a CVT. Related Video:

Lexus RC F GT3 Racing Concept is green-flag ready

Lexus is hardly the first brand that comes to mind when comes to motorsports. In fact, it's not even the first Japanese brand. But Toyota's premium marque is showing new signs of understanding that it will need to at least pay racing further lip service if it wants to be viewed as a more emotionally connected brand with the wherewithal to challenge the Germans on every level.
Lexus has already made it clear it wants to race its RC F coupe, and at least philosophically, the new model certainly strikes us as a more appropriate racecar conversion than the SC 430 that preceded it. This just-unveiled RC F GT3 Racing Concept looks properly menacing sitting on the carpet at the Geneva Motor Show, and it while it's officially labeled as a concept, it's a model Lexus promises will be made available to racing teams in 2015.
Designed run in Group GT3 events, this 2,756-pound coupe has a front-mounted V8 derived from the production RC F tuned to deliver over 540 horsepower. Lexus' plan is to commit to a season's worth of testing this year before building them to order, and we expect to see them in the Japan's Super GT and Super Taikyu Endurance series, along with endurance events like the 24 hours of Nürburgring.